Oliver Solberg was forced to retire from Rally Islas Canarias on the penultimate stage while attempting to catch up to rally leader Sebastien Ogier. Solberg had managed to close the gap to leader Ogier to just 2.2 seconds after the first two stages of Sunday morning, setting the stage for an intense finish. However, his push in the second pass through the Ingenio – Valsequillo test proved too risky as he took too much speed into a right-hander and ended up clipping a barrier.
The damage to the front left of his GR Yaris was significant, leading to his retirement from the rally. Despite the unfortunate end to his race, both Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson emerged unscathed from the car following the impact. The retirement marked the end of an exciting battle with Ogier throughout the rally, with both drivers separated by tenths of seconds during Saturday’s stages.
The crash dealt a blow to Solberg’s championship bid, especially after only salvaging 10 points from the previous rally in Croatia due to a crash on the opening stage. With Solberg out of contention, reigning world champion Ogier now held a comfortable 24.3-second lead over Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans heading into the final Power Stage.
“It is not the way we wanted to see it go. Oliver was doing a great job up until that point,” remarked Ogier upon learning about Solberg’s retirement. “Rallying is tough. Being fast is important, but finishing is even more crucial. I never panic when I see him pushing; I kept my rhythm. I’m sorry for you, Oliver; I’m sure we will have some more battles.”
Following Solberg’s exit, Sami Pajari moved into third place with a 12.3-second advantage over Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux climbed to fifth, the best-placed Hyundai driver, ahead of Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo. M-Sport’s Josh McErlean completed the top eight.
